No deaths or serious injuries were reported following the strongest storm to hit US territory since 2002.
The powerfull Typhoon Mawar left many residents of the US territory of Guam without power or water, even as the storm moved away from the island.
Governor Lou Leon Guerrero gave the “all clear” on Thursday as the National Weather Service (NWS) lifted a typhoon watch, returning the island to its normal state of typhoon preparation. No deaths or serious injuries were reported.
“We now continue to focus our efforts on repairing infrastructure and restoring services to residents,” Leon Guerrero said in a statement. “After speaking with department heads and seeing the incredible rapid response to the storm, I am confident that we will make significant progress towards restoring services.”
The Strongest typhoon to hit Guam since 2002, Mawar has dumped more than 600 mm (two feet) of rain in central and northern the island. It also left about 51,000 households and businesses without power Wednesday night, according to the Guam Power Authority.
The agency said crews were trying to restore power to key facilities such as hospitals and water facilities. He advised residents to boil water for the time being.
“We weathered the storm,” said Leon Guerrero, adding that “the worst is over.”
At the worst of Wednesday’s storm, high winds battered the island and residents emerged to a landscape scattered debris and trees stripped of their foliage.
Scenes from around Tumon Bay, #Guam the day after #typhoon #mawar – lots of tree damage, power and water outage, buzz of generators everywhere, immediate shoreline battered by power surges and a few cars hijacked by the wind pic.twitter.com/BsSmcDV9He
—James Reynolds (@EarthUncutTV) May 25, 2023
“We are waking up to a rather disturbing scene across Guam. We look out our door and what was once a jungle looks like toothpicks,” Landon Aydlett, an NWS meteorologist, said in a video posted online.
“It looks like a scene from the movie Twister, with trees just beaten to pieces.”
As of Thursday evening, Mawar was centered about 314 kilometers (195 miles) northwest of Guam and moving west to northwest at about 13 km/h (8 mph).